UN calls on countries to care for children returning to schools
(VOVWORLD) - A UN report shows that around one in three countries are not yet implementing remedial programs to help students catch up on their learning, in the wake of school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 Pupils in New York, US, go back to school. (Photo: AFP/VNA) |
Meanwhile, only one-third of countries, mainly high-income nations, are taking steps to measure learning losses at the primary and lower-secondary levels.
In total, 142 countries participated in the survey, which covers the period from February to May of this year, and spans four levels of education, from pre-primary through upper secondary schooling. Fewer than a third of low and middle-income countries reported that all students had returned to in-person schooling.
The survey shows that most countries have encouraged students to return to school through measures such as community engagement, school-based tracking, financial incentives and improvements to water, sanitation and hygiene services.
The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the study of more than 1.7 billion pupils and students in 192 countries. So far nearly half of pupils worldwide have been affected because of school closure.